Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Meeting of Office Bearers of AICEIA, Other News

Posted by Secretary General on 12/18/2013 02:00:00 AM with 1 comment

Meeting of AICEIA Office Bearers
A meeting of office bearers of the AICEIA was held at New Delhi on 15.12.2013. Besides reviewing the situation following the  Union Cabinet's approval  for the CR proposal of the CBEC, a few important decisions were taken in the meeting unanimously. These include, among others :
1. The reiteration of our foremost demand to do away immediately with regional disparities in promotions from Inspectors to Superintendents by putting in place provisions to resolve this appalling inequity permanently.
2.  Seek an end to subjectivity and arbitrariness in processing and considering transfer applications of Inspectors from one CC Zone to another, by requesting the Board to issue guidelines in this regard.
3. Demand a mechanism so that seniority/length of service rendered in Inspectors' cadre is duly reflected in the seniority of Superintendents.
4. Committees formed in course of the  Shimla CEC to examine different issues shall expedite the tasks assigned to them and submit their reports well before the next CEC.
5. The membership drive is required to be given a further boost, and the exercise of collection of DDO certificates needs to be completed quickly. All subscription dues upto March 14 to be remitted by all units before the next CEC. Contributions to the Legal Fund need to be collected by all units as decided in the Shimla CEC soon.
6. No communication be made by the AICEIA's regional formations to the CBEC or other authorities especially in matters related to CR, since it is likely to cause confusion,which ultimately will only undermine the overall interests of the cadre.
7. That the next meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the AICEIA shall be held in Mumbai by the end of January'14, or in any case in early February.

Follow up in New Delhi
   Following the meeting, All India office bearers met the DGHRD and other key  officials of the CBEC  over the next two days and apprised them of the expectations of the cadre from the CR and our concerns regarding implementation of the same.

The issues relating to anomalies in MACP to promotee officers among Inspectors, minimum entry pay and other such issues are also being vigourously pursued by the AICEIA with the concerned agencies, and  positive results are expected very soon.

Latest on CR
The ADG (HRM), DGHRD, CBEC  has issued a letter on 12th December to all Cadre Controlling Chief Commissioners  of Cental Excise and Customs calling for detailed Information about present position of promotions of Gr B Executive Non-Gazetted officers. All AICEIA office bearers are requested to pursue this with the respective CC's offices and help in correct and quick communication of this data to the DGHRD.

The Cabinet's sanction for creation of new posts and  additional  posts in different cadres of the CBEC is expected to be formally notified by the Board any day now. However, locations of new formations, their jurisdictions and other details on how the entire CR exercise will unfold will be finalised in the coming few weeks once the  Committees constituted submit their reports to the Board. There is no apprehension of the posts arising out of Restructuring having to be filled in phases, as no such mandate is there in the Cabinet's approval to the CBEC's proposals.

News about our Organisation
In continuation of the efforts to strengthen the organisation, well attended meetings were held in the past couple of months at Nagpur, Trivandrum and Raipur. An encouraging trend emerging at all these meetings in which All India office bearers of the AICEIA also participated was that the newer and younger entrants to the cadre are evincing a keen interest and this definitely augurs well for the Association's future.

O A in Mumbai CAT - Update
Com. Sanjay Srinivasan, VP (West Zone) of the AICEIA has informed that the next hearing in the  Mumbai bench of  CAT is fixed for 6th January 2014 in our notional fixation of pay from 01.01.1996 case. The WP against the CAT's  verdict granting the said benefit deciding an OA filed by the ITGOA is scheduled to be heard by the High Court of Bombay on 20th Dec'13.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General    









Friday, December 6, 2013

Union Cabinet approves Cadre Restructuring in CBEC

Posted by Secretary General on 12/06/2013 04:03:00 PM with 1 comment

On the 5th of December 2013  the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for Cadre Restructuring and Re organisation of Field Formations under the Central Board of Excise and Customs. 

The AICEIA welcomes this development.

It is hoped that  implementation of Restructuring would be effected expeditiously in such manner that the shameful regional disparities across different Cadre Control Zones that exist in promotions of Central Excise Inspectors to Superintendents will  be wiped away, as has been repeatedly assured to this Association by the CBEC at the highest level. This exercise also affords an opportunity to very significantly reduce the acute stagnation at least in the cadre of Inspectors.

The Notification in this respect is expected to be issued by the Joint Secretary (Admn.), CBEC in the next few days, after formal approvals of the draft from the Board and the  Ministry. 

The CBEC has already drawn an elaborate plan for smooth and quick rolling-out of the CR, and  a Core Committee having the DGHRD at its helm and including 10 other members has been constituted for this purpose, with an extensive ambit as evident from the wide terms of reference notified. Other Committees too have been constituted for conducting DPCs; for Operational Issues including Re -organisation of Formations and Allocation of Staff Strength; for Recruitment Rules for various cadres; for Technical matters; and for Infrastructure.  The Committee for Operational Issues is headed by a Chief Commissioner level officer, and all other Committees by  Commissioner level officers.  Very optimistic and tight deadlines ranging from one month to six months  have been set for each Committee to complete the tasks assigned. 

The AICEIA has repeatedly and insistently demanded  time bound promotions for this cadre. Career advancement opportunities at par with our counterparts on the Customs side in CBEC itself, and with other comparable cadres like the Inspectors of Income Tax, Central Secretariat Services etc. is a demand we have never diluted. Equity also demands that officers of any particular Zone with better promotional avenues should not enjoy any unfair advantage over their brothers of any other stagnated Zone, who are no less than them in any respect. Justice within the Central Excise stream would be that the combined length of service put together as Inspector and Superintendent should determine who gets promoted first as Assistant Commissioner. Those opposing efforts to  bring in such a dispensation citing lack of precedent and certain  court verdicts  need to be exposed for the self- serving interests they  are representing  instead of trying to find workable ways to overcome the unjust state of affairs that obtains presently.  

While this CR may not be adequate in scope to bring in any such revolutionary alterations in the scenario overnight, we definitely find ourselves  at a very significant  juncture now, and our actions today will have far-reaching implications.

Beginning April this year, officials of the  Board  and the DGHRD have  engaged in a  continuous exercise of consultation with the AICEIA, and we have made detailed written and oral submissions elucidating the aspirations of this cadre, and suggesting pragmatic means to achieve those. All these shall be reiterated in the coming weeks by this Association. Appropriate representations, totally in line with the Resolutions adopted at  Conventions and meetings of the Central Executive Committee of the AICEIA too shall be made again to the Board shortly.

To deliberate on the situation in light of the current developments a meeting of National office bearers of the AICEIA is hereby convened at New Delhi on Sunday 15.12.2013 at 10.00 A.M. in  Pahar Ganj area in the vicinity of the New Delhi Railway Station. The exact venue shall be communicated once it is finalised.

Meanwhile the Committees formed at the Shimla meeting of the  CEC in July'13 are called upon to submit proposals / reports to the President / Secretary General  on the subjects assigned to them at the earliest, so that after due consideration the same can be acted upon effectively. Any interested parties can send their views or suggestions to the respective Committees. For details of those blogpost dated August 14th 2013 may please be referred to.

All units are requested to submit DDO Certificates immediately and clear all outstanding dues upto 2013-14 to the All India body at the earliest so that functioning of the Association is not impaired.

I once again exhort Inspectors of Central Excise all across the country to strengthen this Association and contribute their mite in the endeavour it has undertaken to ensure a service for each officer of this cadre where one doesn't have to compromise on one's dignity and self-respect.

I also call upon the present office-bearers of the Association  at all levels to bring forth a public-spirited new line of leadership in right earnest so that the Association is not left directionless in the  coming months when   promotions will be effected en masse. Those in the initial years of service as Inspectors should come forward to shoulder organisational responsibilities to ensure that their tomorrows are better and brighter than those of their predecessors. A vibrant, robust organisation which exists today is the result of the untiring toil of  dozens of office bearers and thousands of members who have strived hard over several years  to put it in the position it enjoys today, and I call upon my younger brothers and sisters in the cadre to participate in all activities of the AICEIA  with  vigour and commitment, and nurture this great organisation, since it is the sole mechanism by which our collective can better its lot.

With Fraternal Greetings

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Latest on Restructuring of Field Formations in CBEC, Other News

Posted by Secretary General on 11/19/2013 12:26:00 PM with No comments
The Inter-Ministerial consultation on CR proposals of CBEC has been completed. Issues raised by other Ministries have been responded to by the CBEC, and thereafter the Draft Note for Cabinet prepared by the DGHRD/CBEC has been approved by the Finance Minister. It is expected that the Note will be placed before the Union Cabinet and  the CR proposal approved in the next two -three weeks. 

Meanwhile, to address the long standing problems including that of stagnation in the Gr B  executive cadres, and for better management of human resources, it is learnt that the Board is consulting the National Productivity Council, and also making a detailed reference to the DoP&T, and considering engaging specialist consultancy agencies to suggest workable remedies to these problems within the overall existing  regulatory framework governing personnel matters. The AICEIA has communicated to the Board / Ministry that concerns and opinions of Associations must necessarily be taken on board while formulating or altering such policies. Well reasoned and detailed proposals in this direction have already been submitted to the Board.   We stand resolute in our demand that there should be a time -bound scheme of promotion for Gr B executives in the CBEC, and regional disparities in promotions from Inspectors to Superintendents among different Cadre Control Zones should be done away with forthwith. There is no dilution in our demand for parity among the three (base) feeder cadres for promotion to the Gr A entry level posts, and  that promotional avenues as available to other comparable cadres in Central Government service should be open to us too.  

In the case of granting Grade Pay of Rs 5400/- to Inspectors on completion of  four years of service after getting first ACP, Shri M. Subramaniam, erstwhile General Secretary of the Salem Branch of the AICEIA filed a contempt petition in the Madras High Court against the Department for not implementing the High Court Order despite the Supreme Court not staying the same. Following that, the Ministry has ordered that the benefit be allowed to Shri Subramainam. Meanwhile AICEIA is seeking legal advice on how  to go about  pursuing the case in the wake of the Supreme Court effectively turning down our Application for early hearing in the Civil Appeal filed by the UoI challenging the subject Order of the Madras High Court.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General           

Saturday, November 2, 2013

Happy Diwali

Posted by Secretary General on 11/02/2013 07:08:00 PM with 1 comment

The All India Central Excise Inspectors' Association wishes all members and the entire Central Excise fraternity a very happy Deepavali.
A. Satish
President

Monday, October 28, 2013

Meeting with Revenue Secretary, Other Recent Developments

Posted by Secretary General on 10/28/2013 03:20:00 PM with 1 comment
An appointment was sought from the Revenue Secretary

Following this, appointment was given on 25th October '13. A delegation of office-bearers of the AICEIA met the RS accordingly, and apprised him of the concerns of the cadre, especially the acute stagnation and regional disparities in promotions, and also suggested measures - immediate and long-term - to address these grave issues that have remained neglected for long. A representation was also handed over to the RS.


    The Revenue Secretary has assured appropriate action to redress the cadre's grievances.

AICEIA office-bearers also met CBEC officials and pursued the other issues too, which still remain unaddressed.

It is learnt that the draft Cabinet Note prepared by the Board and sent, after the Finance Minister  approved the same,  to the Ministry of Law, the Deptt of Expenditure and the DoP&T for their comments,  will be sent latest by 05.11.2013 to the Union Cabinet.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General 

Monday, October 21, 2013

Supreme Court Hearing Update

Posted by Secretary General on 10/21/2013 12:51:00 PM with 3 comments
The Application for early hearing in the Rs 5400/- GP for Inspectors on completion of 4 years after grant of first ACP was heard in the Supreme Court today by the Chief Justice's  Bench. The CJI observed that since no Interim Orders had been passed earlier in the case, and since mostly it was in cases of 2008/2007 or earlier that early hearing was being  considered, it is too early in our case to allow such an application. The CJI also suggested that such an application may be filed next year. Accordingly our Counsel withdrew the Application. More details to follow.
Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General     

Wednesday, October 9, 2013



The AICEIA is fighting a case on behalf of Shri M Subramaniam, erstwhile General Secretary of the Salem Branch of the AICEIA . The case relates to entitlement of Grade Pay of Rs 5400/- to Inspectors on completion of 4 years after they get their 1st ACP. The Government has filed a Civil Appeal challenging the Madras High Court Order favouring Shri Subramaniam, and the same is pending  before the Supreme Court.  As per decision of the Central Executive Committee of the AICEIA, an application for early hearing was filed in the case, and the same is coming up for hearing before the Supreme Court on 21.10.2013. Senior Counsel has been engaged in the case to represent the party Respondent.

News regarding CR is that the Cabinet Note has been approved by the Finance Minister, and it is expected that the same will be placed before the Union Cabinet shortly.

Meanwhile this Association's efforts to highlight the plight of the Gr B Central Excise executives regarding acute stagnation continue at all levels in the maximum effective manner. We are very hopeful of permanently doing away with the shamefully appalling regional disparities in promotions that exists among Inspectors of different Cadre Control Zones very soon, and that would indeed be a very important step towards our ultimate aim of achieving parity in promotions among all 3 cadres ( POs & Examiners of Customs, and Inspectors of Central Excise) and securing for ourselves avenues for career advancement comparable with those available to analogous cadres in other departments.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General

Monday, September 30, 2013

Recent Developments

Posted by Secretary General on 9/30/2013 01:24:00 AM with No comments


It is learnt that minutes of the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries held on 27.08.13,  in which the CR proposal of the CBEC was approved, have been issued and the Cabinet Note prepared by DGHRD, CBEC will now be presented before the Union Cabinet, once it is forwarded by the Finance Minister. It can be expected that sometime in October’13 this proposal will get approval from the Cabinet. In anticipation of that, preparations are already afoot in the Board, particularly in the DGHRD for expeditious implementation of the proposals.

Com A I Abbasi, Joint Secretary (North Zone) of the AICEIA  has reported that on 28.09.13 he had occasion to meet the Union Minister of State for Finance (Revenue) during the latter’s visit to Lucknow . He has submitted a representation to the Minister highlighting the pathetic plight of Inspectors of Central Excise, the abysmally poor promotion prospects available to us, coupled with the huge intra-cadre and inter-cadre disparities in promotions in the CBEC, and suggesting pragmatic solutions to such vexatious issues. Com. Abbasi has informed that the Minister, after giving a patient hearing , has assured that the CR in the CBEC would significantly address some of these issues, and for the others he will initiate necessary action.


The AICEIA remains steadfast in its commitment to the cadre it represents on its repeatedly reiterated objective - removal of stagnation, and doing away with the regional disparities in promotions across different cadre control zones.This Association shall not rest till this stigma on our cadre is wiped off, and if need be, we are prepared to launch a massive agitation programme on any indication that the injustices perpetrated on this cadre in earlier rounds of restructuring, especially on the worst stagnating Zones, may not be undone even this time around. We see this as a very important milestone on the road to radically improving promotion prospects for Inspectors, and bringing in parity in promotions among the three cadres of Inspectors of Central Excise, Preventive Officers of Customs, and Examiners of Customs. That the combined length of service in the Gr B Executive Grades should be the criteria to determine who gets promoted first to a  Gr A entry level post is an oft-repeated stand of the AICEIA. This, and the demand to accord parity among the three feeder cadres retrospectively as a condition precedent to merger of the three streams has been unequivocally communicated to the Board several times, and these facts find specific mention in the Board records. We have been relentlessly pursuing this at the highest levels of the Board and the Ministry, and shall continue to do so, despite detractors with vested interests trying hard to derail our efforts. It is as a result of this Association’s concerted efforts that removal of Regional Disparities in promotions within the Central Excise stream of Gr B Executives is receiving deservedly prime attention from the CBEC now. 


Keeping in line with the priorities decided by the present Central Executive Committee of the AICEIA, national office bearers have been undertaking extensive tours frequently to various parts of the country to directly interact with members even in the farthest corners of the nation, as part of our efforts to strengthen the organization at the grassroots level, and to enhance membership. At all these locations, the response to the meetings organized by AICEIA’s Branches/ Circles has been overwhelming. Particularly encouraging is the active participation of younger Inspectors in most formations, and the keen interest evinced by them in Association activities augurs well for the future of this collective. The seniors among the AICEIA office bearers at all levels must foster young, energetic and committed new leadership, and immediately start sharing important organizational responsibilities with them to ensure that the Association does not face a crisis when en-masse promotions are effected whenever CR gets implemented. 

Enriching interactions with so many Superintendents, some of whom hold important offices in their Association too has been a welcome development seen at most of these meetings all across the country. 


I must laud the efforts of Com. Dilip Pandya, JS(WZ), Com Prashant Mishra at Surat and Com Chetan Shah at Ahmedabad for their efforts in enhancing membership and striving to bringing back the Association to the earlier position of strength that it enjoyed in Gujarat. Very special Congratulations to Com Kishor Kumar and Com S Ramesh for their hugely successful attempts to revive the Vadodara unit of the AICEIA, which was defunct since quite a few years. Com Ashish Biswas, Treasurer of the AICEIA and GS Raipur Branch, Com Prakash Gaidhani , GS of our Nashik Branch, and Com Devender Kumar, GS of our Tirupati Branch and the new AICEIA JS(SZ) also have been joining us in some of these tours and making valuable contributions. Com Abhay Singh VP(NZ) has made a phenomenal effort to revive the organization in Rajasthan, where membership had dwindled over the years, but now it stands at a very respectable level, despite the acute stagnation and extremely difficult working conditions being faced in that Zone. Also noteworthy are the valuable contributions of our Working President Com Samir Sinha, and the young Circle Secretary of Bihar and Jharkhand, Com Abhishek Kamal. Above all, Com Shishir Agnihotri , our National Liaison Secretary, who has been instrumental in setting up a robust organization in Mumbai as General Secretary of the Mumbai Circle of the AICEIA , must be thanked and congratulated since he has always found time to be part of AICEIA teams at most places, besides being a resourceful and articulate representative of the AICEIA at meetings with the Board officials. 

Committees which have recently assumed office are:


Kanpur Branch of the AICEIA


 President        Com S.K.Mohan
 Vice President     Com Alok Kumar
 General Secretary  Com Shiv Kumar
 Joint Secretaries:- Com  Manini Bajpai,  Com A.M.Mehrotra,  Com V.K.Soni, Com Rajesh Dubey
 Office Secretaries  Com  Vimal Joshi  & Com Pramod Suman
Treasurer   Com L.K.Pandey




Rajasthan Circle of the AICEIA


Com B L Meena - President
Com Anil Gupta - Vice-President
Com Abhay Singh - General Secretary
Com Akshat Sharma - Joint Secretary
Com Alok Mathur - Asstt General Secretary (CE, Jaipur-I)
Com Manoj Verma - Asstt General Secretary (CE, Jaipur-II)
 Com S. K. Saran - Asstt General Secretary (Customs)
Com S.N. Sutrarak - Finance Secretary 




Vadodara Unit of the AICEIA ( Interim Committee elected unanimously, till formal elections are held)


Com S.Ramesh - President
Com  Arun Kumar - General Secretary
Com  Gopesh Shah - Vice President
Com  Rahul Sharma - Vice President
 Com Rajnanda Mohite - Joint Secretary
Com Pushpendra Singh - Joint Secretary 

With Fraternal Greetings,
Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

LATEST ON CR

Posted by Secretary General on 9/24/2013 04:13:00 PM with 2 comments
Office bearers of the AICEIA met senior officials of the Board at New Delhi on 23rd September. It is learnt that minutes of the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries are still awaited and no sooner than those are issued, the draft note to be put up before the Union Cabinet will be sent for the Finance Minister's approval by the DGHRD/CBEC. Our Board does not apprehend the recently announced austerity measures to come in the way of the CR proposal getting through.
AICEIA has again impressed on the Board the need to urgently address the issue of stagnation and regional disparities, and we have once again been assured that the CR would certainly be implemented in a manner doing away with this at least in the Inspectors' cadre.
In the past few weeks, All India office bearers have undertaken extensive tours to various parts of the country to strengthen the organisation. Meetings were held at Hyderabad, Rajkot, Surat, Daman, Ahmedabad, Baroda, Jamshedpur and Jaipur. All these meetings were well attended and membership of the AICEIA has seen a huge surge in recent times. Details of new Committees which have assumed office recently in some Circles/Branches  will be posted here soon.
A. Satish
President       

Sunday, September 1, 2013

AICEIA joins Confederation's Protest Programme against PFRDA Bill

Posted by Secretary General on 9/01/2013 05:03:00 PM with No comments
All  Circle and Branch Secretaries are requested to ensure maximum participation in the protest programme against the PFRDA Bill called for by the Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers. For updates please refer to Confederation's blog :
confederationhq.blogspot.com




Confederation's Explanatory Note on the New Pension Scheme
 Scrap the New Pension Scheme
The defined benefit scheme of pension was introduced replacing the then existing contributory system decades back. .  The Government decided to reconvert the same into a contributory scheme on the specious plea that the outflow on pension had been increasing year by year and is likely to cross the wage bill. By making it contributory, the Government expenditure on this score is not likely to get reduced for the next  four decades  because of the reason that as per the announced scheme, the Government is to contribute the same amount to the fund as the employees make. Coupled with this stipulation the Government is also duty bound to make payment for the existing pensioners and for all Central Government employees who were in service prior to 1.1.2004.  The contribution collected from the employees who are recruited after 1.1.2004 is to be managed by a mutual fund operator for investment in the stock market.  It is the vagaries of the stock market which will then determine the quantum of pension or in other words annuity, which would not be cost indexed.   Before the introduction of the new scheme and the PFRDA bill, the Government had set up a committee under the chairmanship of Shri Bhattacharya, the then Chief Secretary of the State of Karnataka. The bill was unfortunately drafted and presented to the Parliament disregarding even the recommendation of the said committee to the effect that the Govt. should consider introducing a hybrid system by which the employees will have either a defined benefit pension   or  opt for a higher return through stock exchange investments.  Despite the non-passage of the bill and the consequent absence of a valid law to support the Pension Regulatory authority, the Govt. converted the existing pension scheme into a contributory one through executive fiat and invested a percentage of the fund so generated from the employees' contribution in the Stock market.   India is a young country and the expenditure on statutory pension has remained over a long period not more than 5% of GDP which the country/Government can afford to spend. The withdrawal of PFRDA bill is required for the following  solid reasons:

(a)    The new pension scheme is going to make social security in old age uncertain and dependent on market forces.
(b)   The scheme has been compulsorily imposed on a section of employees and hence it is discriminatory.
(c)    Such scheme had been a failure in many countries including Chile, UK and even USA.  In USA entire pension wealth has been wiped out leaving pensioners with no pension. In Argentina the contributory scheme which was introduced at the instance of IMF was replaced with the defined benefit pension scheme.
(d)   The PFRDA Bill has provisions empowering the Govt. and the Authority to cover employees now left out and to amend the existing entitlements of pension benefits.
(e)   In majority of the countries, "pay as you go" is the system of pension.          
(f)     The contributory scheme does not give any guarantee for a minimum pension of 50% of the pay drawn at the time of retirement of the employee. Nor does it provide for  the protection of his family members in the form of family pension in the event of death.

The Supreme Court had declared pension as one of the fundamental rights. The government should therefore retrace from its avowed position, which is detrimental to the interest of the employees and ensure that the employees recruited after 1.1.2004 is covered by the existing statutory defined benefit scheme and withdraw the PFRDA bill from the Parliament.
The recent decision of the Cabinet to allow FDI in pension fund operations has made the real intent of the PFRDA bill unambiguously clear. The FDI will facilitate the mutual fund operators to invest the funds outside India thereby making Indian Savings available for development of a foreign country. It is now clear that the decision behind the contributory pension scheme was the pressure imposed by imperialist powers and more specifically IMF.  It has, therefore, to be opposed at all cost and with vehemence.  The Govt. must not be allowed to go ahead with its intention of induction of FDI in pension fund companies. 

Please make all out efforts to make this protest programme a total success. 

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General 

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

News on Cadre Restructuring in the CBEC

Posted by Secretary General on 8/28/2013 10:57:00 AM with 4 comments
It is learnt that the Committee of Secretaries met on 27.08.2013  and approved the Restructuring Proposal of the CBEC. Reports say that as per  the approved proposal, for the Gr B executive stream, there would be an increase of around 5000 posts each in the Gazetted  and Non-Gazetted cadres. 2118 posts are reported to have been approved for promotion to Group A from Group B. Now this proposal would be placed before the  Union Cabinet for approval. The Draft Cabinet Note has already been prepared by the DGHRD Customs and Central Excise, and things are now expected to move fast.  
AICEIA remains committed and firm in its stand that regional disparities in promotions across various Cadre Control Zones needs to be addressed on topmost priority. Equally important  is the need to accord parity in promotions among the three base feeder cadres for promotion as Assistant Commissioners.The well considered, justified and longstanding demand repeatedly and persistently raised by this Association for time bound functional promotions at the end of 8, 15  and 23 years of service is also reiterated. These measures alone can provide relief from the twin curses of stagnation and regional disparities that have been plaguing our cadre for decades.  
Ajit Kumar K G 
Secretary General  

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

All India office bearers of the Association will be in Gujarat to meet and interact with Inspectors of Central Excise in the next few days. The programme is as under:
Meeting at Surat : 31st August, 2013 at   11:30 a m . Venue:  Kshitij Restaurant, 1-2, Western Corridor, Adajan Circle, Hazira Road, Adajan,  Surat    For further details contact Com Prashant Mishra  08000659375
Meeting at Rajkot ( for Inspectors of Commissionerates of  Rajkot, Bhavnagar and Customs Jamnagar)   1st September 10.30 am to 1.30 p.m  Venue: Central Excise Hqrs Office, Rajkot  For details contact Com Dilip Pandya  09428231609
Meetings and interaction with members  will be held at Vadodara on 3rd  September and also on 4th September (in the forenoon).  In the evening of 4th September, a meeting will be held at Vapi .For details of programmes at both these places,  please contact Com S Ramesh  09879145823 Com Kishor Kumar 09033749575,  Com Dilip Pandya  09428231609.
Meetings and interactive sessions of office bearers and members will be held at Ahmedabad  in the afternoon / evening of 5th September. For details of venue and time please contact Com Chetan Shah 09426326354.
The entire programme in Gujarat will be co-ordinated by Com Dilip Pandya  and Com Chetan Shah.
 West Zone office bearers of the AICEIA are requested to participate in these programmes. All    Inspectors posted in Gujarat are cordially invited to all/any of these meetings which they can conveniently attend.

Elections were held recently to the Lucknow Branch of the AICEIA . Congratulations to the newly elected office bearers
(i)         Shri Pankaj Mani Tripathi –                           President;
(ii)        Shri Sanjay Chatterjee –                               Vice-President;
(iii)       Shri Rajesh Bholadutt Pande –                     Vice President;
(iv)       Shri A I Abbasi –                                            General Secretary;
(v)        Shri Shishir Srivastava –                               Joint Secretary;
(vi)       Shri Pradeep Tewari –                                   Joint Secretary;
(vii)      Shri K K Kushwaha –                                    Joint Secretary;
(viii)     Shri Lokendra Pratap Singh Gangwar –       Joint Secretary;
(ix)       Shri Rakesh Pandey –                                  Joint Secretary;
(x)        Shri Govind Mishra -                                       Treasurer.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General

Friday, August 16, 2013

Welfare Measures, Other Developments

Posted by Secretary General on 8/16/2013 11:46:00 AM with 1 comment
News received from Com Sanjay Srinivasan, VP(West Zone) AICEIA is that next hearing in Mumbai CAT on our OA our seeking notional fixation of pay wef 01.01.1996 has been fixed for 29.10.2013.

A meeting of all members of Hyderabad Unit of AICEIA will be held on Monday, 19th August, 2013 . All India  and South Zone office bearers of the AICEIA will also participate in the same. All members in Hyderabad and nearby stations and office bearers of all formations in AP are requested to attend the same. For details, General Secretary of Hyderabad Unit Com B L N Varma  09866303385 may please be contacted.

AICEIA has submitted its views on the CBEC's proposal to launch a Health Insurance Scheme for all employees. Same are reproduced hereunder


F.No.712/251/HRD/WF-1/1
Directorate General of Human Resource Development
Customs & Central Excise
Infrastructure & Welfare Wing
                                                      C-4, IRCON Building            
District Centre, Saket
New Delhi-110 017
                                                                        
  To,
All Staff Welfare Associations                                                    26th JULY, 2013
(Recognized under CBEC)
Sub:    Proposal of  “HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME  for CBEC Employees” – Reg.
                                    As you are aware a new scheme for HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME for CBEC Employees is under consideration by the DGHRD. All the Associations are requested to actively participate in drafting of the proposed HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME such that the scheme is sustainable and its benefits can percolate to all cadres effectively.   The draft of the proposed scheme is enclosed. You are requested to through the proposed modalities of the draft Scheme and give suggestions on the following points:

(a)    Should the CBEC employees (proposed beneficiaries) also contribute a portion of the premium for the proposed Health Insurance cover?

(b)   What should be the estimated contribution? It is felt that 20% of the premium should be the contribution from the employee and the rest 80% of the premium would be paid from the Welfare Fund. Approximately 20% of the estimated premium will be Rs. 500/-per annum which can be deducted yearly from the salary of the Departmental employee. Income tax benefit may also be available on the premium paid for the proposed Scheme.

(c)    At present, the CGHS beneficiaries pays Rs. 600/- to Rs. 6000/- per year for the CGHS Scheme benefits as a  contribution of Rs. 50/- to Rs. 500/- per month, (depending upon the Grade Pay of  a CGHS beneficiary) is deducted from   his/her salary. With a meager payment of Rs. 500/- per annum, additional medical benefits worth Rs. 2 lakh will be available to the employee and his family under the proposed Scheme. The CGHS Scheme will continue and contribution of premium will also be deducted from the salary of the employee.

(d)   Each Association may like to estimate as to how many employees are willing to participate with the above broad parameters? You may estimate the numbers for the respective cadre the concerned Associations is representing through an informal survey and commit to enroll a minimum number from each Cadre .this will enable this office to estimate the size and spread of the scheme.
  Any other suggestions in any of the proposed components of the Scheme can be given by email/fax tomeenuhrd12@gmail.com latest by 16.08.2013.
                                                       With Regards,
                                                                                                                Yours Sincerely,
Meenu S.  Kumar

Addtnl. Director, (I&W); DGHRD


It is learnt that the meeting of the Committee of Secretaries to examine the CBEC's CR proposals may be held by this month-end. The CBEC's proposals endorsed by the FM and  the truncated proposals approved by DOP&T, both would be placed before the Committee of Secretaries.

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Shimla Meeting of the CEC : Highlights

Posted by Secretary General on 8/14/2013 05:18:00 PM with No comments
The AICEIA CEC met on 27th and 28th of July, 2013 and deliberated on all important issues concerning the cadre.  To provide more focus issue wise, and make better  and more effective use of available inhouse expertise, proposals to introduce a Committee system were adopted   

Three Committees were constituted for  making a database of relevant literature , judgments, orders and the like, service conditions and provisions , analysing opinions received from various quarters, seeking relevant information under provisions of the RTI Act, and preparation of  drafts of various communications  to be transmitted to the Executive Committee through the Secretary General who will make appropriate consultations with the Executive Committee before a final view is taken on the issues. The Committees  will also present periodic  reports on their work to every meeting of the Central office bearers / Central Executive Committee.
Any suggestions or proposals may be mailed to any member of  the concerned Committees.

Committee to look at Revision of Recruitment Rules,   Methods for removal  of regional disparities in promotions  among Inspectors of different zones, All  India Seniority for Inspectors of Central Excise:
Com Samir K Sinha,  Chairman         samirksinha72@yahoo.com
Com R C Sharma               ramesh659524@yahoo.com
Com Chetan Shah            shahchetan94@gmail.com
Com  N K Chaudhari    exciseinspectors.abd@gmail.com
Com  Abhishek Chakraborty   abhishek.irs@gmail.com


Committee on Legal Issues, ACP/MACP issues, Entry level pay distortions, Correction  situations of Seniors drawing less pay than juniors,     Legal Options for attaining Pay parity with comparable GoI Cadres, Offering support to units in legal matters    
Com P V Satyanarayana       vsnpamidi@yahoo.in
Com Sanjay Kumar                sanjaykzm@gmail.com
Com  R C Sharma                    ramesh659524@yahoo.com
Com Chetan Shah                  shahchetan94@gmail.com



Committee for  strengthening organisation, enhancing Membership, and mobilization of  members to maximize participation of members in agitational programmes, Strikes , especially those called by Confederation of Central Government Employees and Workers.
Com E  Samy        esamy1962@gmail.com
Com A I Abbasi   abbasi.anwar@ymail.com
Com Pradip Bannerjee     banerjee_pradipkumar@rediffmail.com
Com Prakash Gaidhani     prakash_gaidhani@rediffmail.com


It was also decided that the next meeting of the CEC would be hosted by Mumbai  Circle in the second fortnight of December 2013. All units of the West Zone offered to cooperate with the Mumbai Circle in this regard.

The CEC welcomed the renewal of recognition of the All India Central Excise Inspectors’ Association by the Ministry for a period of five years.
Minutes of the Patna Convention were presented to  the CEC. Certain  corrections and omissions pointed out by a few units were incorporated, and the same would  be presented for adoption before the next Convention.

Audited Accounts upto 30th June 2013 were also presented, and the same was passed by the CEC. A sum of Rs One Lac has been transferred from the AICEIA General Fund to the Litigation Fund, as reflected therein. It gives me great pleasure to announce that another amount of Rs 1,14,138/-  too has now been transferred to the Legal Fund. We have thus been able to fulfill the promise made at the Patna Convention that amounts used from the Legal Fund for regular operational expenses of the Association would be made good. With this  the Legal Fund has now been replenished by the entire amount  withdrawn therefrom .  We have been able to do this in a short span of seven months only by strictly practicing austerity. This  has also left our funds severely depleted, and it is therefore requested to all Circles/Branches/Units having dues outstanding against the All India body to  immediately settle all dues to ensure that  the organisation’s  activities are not stymied.

It was decided by the Central Executive Committee to go ahead with the filing of an Application for Early Hearing in the Supreme Court and pursuing the case for grant of Rs 5400 Grade Pay to Inspectors 4 years after grant of ACP. The OA filed in Mumbai Bench of the  CAT seeking notional fixation of pay wef  01.01.1996 is also being continuously pursued.  It  was decided in the CEC also to  explore  the judicial route to find redress to many of our pay related problems.  It was also decided to call for more contributions to the AICEIA Legal Fund so that we can engage competent counsel and ensure that our chances of success in these endeavours  do not get not compromised for lack of funds.

The CEC adopted several resolutions including those calling for bringing in All India Seniority for Inspectors with conditions ensuring minimum displacement , that too only on request or promotion  and with assured repatriation to home Zone on arising of vacancies there, Abolition of Control Room duties  for Inspectors, Putting a stop to victimization of Association Office Bearers, Representing to the Board for allowing alternate mechanisms for pay  fixation for Inspectors who joined after 01.01.1996 as available in other departments.

Com Devender Kumar, General Secretary of the Tirupati Branch was elected as the  Joint Secretary(South) in place of Shri C JThomas, who was promoted recently. 

Two amendments to the AICEIA Constitution were proposed – one for  including in the Constitution a list of AICEIA Circles/ Branches, and  another stipulating a new format for Application for Membership of the AICEIA. Both were unanimously adopted, and will be presented for ratification before the next Convention. The new form is appended to this post, and is also being sent as an attachment to an e-mail to all Branch and Circle Secretaries. The same may be used henceforth to enroll new members.

I once again exhort all office bearers at all levels to immediately start working  to reach out to all Inspectors posted to even the remotest locations and attempt to get them involved in the Association’s activities. Enhancement of membership is another area that needs constant attention. We  need to  share organizational responsibility with the youngest of our brethren so that their vigour and vitality is reflected in the Association’s  functioning too.

Some All India office bearers will very shortly undertake a tour of Gujarat  - the proposed itinerary includes meeting members at Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Surat and Vadodara. All West Zone office bearers and Branch office bearers of Gujarat are requested to  be prepared to join the All India team for this programme at short notice. Active and interested  office bearers and  members (present/prospective) of Gujarat  are requested to start mobilizing members and arrange meetings to make these programmes a massive success.

With Fraternal Greetings on this Independence Day Eve,

Ajit Kumar K G
Secretary General  
                                                                                                                                                   
Sr.No.



ANNEXURE ‘A’
Application form for admission as member of
All India Central Excise Inspectors’ Association (AICEIA)
(Affiliated to the Confederation of Central Government Employees & Workers and recognized by Ministry Of Finance)
PASTE PHOTO
AND
ATTACH ONE EXTRA PHOTO WITH FORM
    (To be obtained in quadruplicate)
                                                                                                                                   

Applicant’s Name               :           
(In Block letters)
Date of Birth                      :  _____________________________________________________________
Designation in the office     :     Inspector      
Blood Group    :         
Date of entry into Service   :           
in present cadre
Office in which employed   :           

Residential address           :
(with phone number)                

Mobile No.&E-mail id      :

I declare that the particulars furnished above are correct.  I agree to abide by the Constitution, discipline, and directive of the AICEIA.  I may be enrolled as a member of the AICEIA.

Station :
Date     :                                                                                   Signature & Initial

(To be filled in by the Office Bearer of Branch/Circle)

Name of the Branch/Circle in which the                      :  
Applicant is admitted as a primary member                                      

Name of the Branch/Circle (Zone/Commissionerate)  :           

Membership Number                                                    :

Receipt No. issued to the Applicant for having             :
received the admission fee                                           

   Signature of the President / Secretary of Branch/Circle    

 
(To be filled in by the Secretary General)

It is certified that Shri / Smt. ________________________________________       and Membership No. (………….. Circle) is a member of the All India Central Excise Inspectors’ Association (AICEIA) from …………….Circle.

              Signature of the Secretary General, AICEIA       

- cut here & submit to DDO -

Letter of Authorization
[Authority: O.M. No. 2/10/80-JCA, dated 31-1-1994]
I, ______________________________________________            (Name and Designation) and Membership No.being
a member of the All India Central Excise Inspectors’ Association (AICEIA), hereby, authorize deduction of annual subscription of  Rs. 720/- (Rupees Seven Hundred and Twenty only)  every Financial Year in the month of August/September from my salary and authorize its payment to (Name of the Branch/Circle ) AICEIA……………. Circle. This authorization will be valid till the same is withdrawn by me in writing.



                             Signature & Initialhttp://visit.geocities.com/visit.gif?&r=http%3A//www.geocities.com/aifceeo_kolkata/Constitution_of_AIFCEEO.htm&b=Netscape%205.0%20%28Windows%3B%20en-US%29&s=800x600&o=Win32&c=16&j=false&v=1.2setstats1